Golf swing training device



Aug. 12, 1969 N. A. CASSA, JR 3,460,837

GOLF SWING TRAINING DEVICE Filed 001,. 16. 1967 luvnvron Nmvozls 4 C455;Jk.

United States Patent 3,460,837 GOLF SWING TRAINING DEVICE Nicholas A.Cassa, Jr., 430 N. Gilbert, Fullerton, Calif. 92633 Filed Oct. 16, 1967,Ser. No. 675,598 Int. Cl. A63b 69/36 U.S. Cl. 273-486 2 Claims ABSTRACTOF THE DISCLOSURE A golf swing training device includes an upwardly inclined rod having one of its ends secured to one side of the first endof a horizontal bar. The second end of the rod terminates above and insubstantially vertical alignment with the second end of the bar. Asupport is provided to hold the bar above a horizontal surface at adistance such that a golf club head may be passed therebeneath by aBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention pertains to teachingindividuals and to enabling individuals to practice the proper manner ofswinging a golf club so that they can more satisfactorily play the gameof golf. In this game, a small ball is propelled in a desired manner bybeing hit with a headed club. Such clubs include an elongated, somewhatflexible shaft, one end of which is formed so as to serve as a handleand the other end of which supports and carries a head designed tocontact the ball so as to cause it to move in a desired manner. Theheads on such clubs difler depending upon the manner in which such clubsare to be used.

An important factor in satisfactorily playing golf is the way in which agolf club is swung so as to hit a ball. This matter has been studied andit has been determined that a person playing golf is most apt to achievebest results in propelling a ball in a desired way when the club used isheld in a specific manner and is swung in a specific manner in such away that various body muscles and configurations follow a set pattern.The proper manner of holding a golf club can be easily shown by thepictures and simple instruction. However, the proper manner of swinginga club so that body and muscular coordination are achieved to obtainmost effective ball motion is a very difiicult manner to teach.

In the past, the proper manner of swinging a golf club so as to obtainmost effective ball motion has frequently been taught by a person doingthe teaching watching another person hitting a golf ball and then makingsuggestions to the one being taught. Various devices to facilitate suchteaching such as devices which are to be followed by the eye of anindividual swinging a club, devices which will be hit when the club isswung in an improper manner and the like have been proposed for use asteaching aids in connection with teaching the proper way to swing a golfclub. These prior devices have not found wide acceptance. Although theprecise reasons for this are not known, it is considered that suchreasons pertain to the effectiveness of these devices, the ease withwhich they may be used, and other related factors.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is toprovide an effective device to be used in teaching the proper manner ofswinging a golf club. A related object of the invention is ice toprovide a device of this type which can be used by an individual topractice the proper manner of swinging a golf club without theassistance of someone else. Another object of this invention is toprovide a device for these purposes which may be conveniently used invirtually any location where a golf club can be swung without danger ofdamage. Still further objects of the invention are to provide deviceswhich are relatively simple to construct and which are extremely easy toutilize.

These and various other related objectives of the invention are achievedin accordance with this invention by providing a simple device orstructure, having a generally horizontal bar of a length correspondingto part of what may be referred to as a proper backswing of a golf club,a rod attached to one end of the bar so as to extend generally along itin a diagonal upward manner in a path corresponding to part of what maybe: considered as a proper downswing of the club, and means forsupporting the rod and bar above the ground in approximately the areawhere the head of a golf club is normally located during the start ofand during the lower part of the swing of such club.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The actual details of the invention arebest explained wit hreference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a persepective view of a presently preferred embodiment of adevice of this invention showing all of the parts of this device; and

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the device shown in FIG. 1indicating in phantom and by dotted lines various matters with respectto the use of this device.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The device 10 shown in thedrawing is a very simple device consisting of a bar 12 adapted to belocated in a horizontal position above the surface of the ground. Oneend of this bar 12 is attached to a rod 14 which extends upwardly in adiagonal manner from the bar 12 along the length of this bar 12 at aside of the bar 12. Although the terms bar and rod are used inconnection with the description of the bar 12 and rod 14, it will berecognized that these terms are not limited. Both of these parts mayhave the same cross-sectional configuration, or they may differ from oneanother in cross-sectional configuration.

Attached to the bar 12 between the ends of it are two supports 16 whichare adapted to be located horizontally. The ends of the supports 16remote from the bar 12 are connected to vertically extending stakes 18.These stakes 18 extend downwardly a sufiicient distance so that they maybe used to support the entire device 10 on the ground with the bar 12located above the ground. If desired the supports 16 and the stakes 18can be considered as a support means for supporting the remainder of thedevice. The rod 14 is, as shown located on the side of the bar 12,remote from the supports 16. This is to permit the passage of a golfclub head beneath the bar 12 and the rod 14.

In use, the device 10 is held above a ground surface such as the surface20,. indicated in phantom in FIG. 2, so that the bar 12 is horizontal.Pressure is applied to the device 10 as for example, by engaging withthe hands the supports 16 so as to force the stakes 18 into the groundto a sufficient extent so that the bar 12 is located slightly above thelevel of the head of a golf club preliminarily to hitting a golf ball.For effective results, the entire device 10 is located so that the rod14 and the bar 12 are substantially as indicated in FIG. 2 with theintersection of these two parts being adjacent to and directly above thelocation of a conventional golf ball such as the ball 22 when such aball is loacted on the surface of the ground 20, or, in case the device10 is being used to practice when a golf ball is held upon a golf tee,immediately above where such a ball will be located.

In use an individual to be taught the proper manner in swinging a golfclub or practicing the proper manner of using such a club, faces thedevice so as to 'be opposite the bar 12 and rod 14. Such an individualthen manipulates a conventional golf club such as a club having a head22 as illustrated in phantom in FIG. 2 of the drawing so that this head22 is adjacent to the apex of the acute angle formed by the bar and therod 14. The entire club is then swung with appropriate body motion sothat the head 22 passes in the direction of the arrow 24 beneath the bar12 as a part of a so-called backswing." If the individual using thedevice 12 lifts the club from other than its desired horizontal travelduring the initial part of such a back stroke, the club head 22 willcontact the bar 12 indicating the error in the manner in which the clubis being swung. On the completion of the backswing, the club will bemoved downwardly in a conventional downswing manner. As it is moved inthis manner it will follow the path indicated by the arrow 26 justbeneath the rod 14. If the club is moved in other than the desired pathduring this downswing, it will contact either the bar 12 or the rod 14indicating the error in the motion of the swing.

The entire assembly of parts constituting the device 10 may be easilyand conveniently manufactured from various different materials invarious different manners. Thus, for example, all of the parts may besimple iron parts welded to one another. It is presently considered thatit will be preferable to make the entire device 10 by known injectionmolding techniques out of a polymer material having significant strengthand significant resistance to impact. The device 10 may of course differfrom the precise device illustrated in minor matters such as dimensionand the like so long as the device is capable of functioning in themanner in which it is described.

In order for the device to be operative in the manner indicated in thepreceding the bar 12 should be of a length corresponding to the distancea golf club should be moved horizontally at the start of a backswing.Similarly the rod 14 should be of a suflicient length so as tocorrespond to the final part of the downswing of the golf club. The rod14 will also be located at an acute angle to the bar 12 corresponding tosuch a downswing. Obviously the length of these parts should be varieddepending upon the size of the person who will be using the device 10.Thus, for example, the length of the bar 12 should be normally slightlylarger when the device 10 is to be used by a large person who normallyuses a long golf club than if the device 10 was to be used by acomparatively short person who would normally use a comparatively shortgolf club.

On a careful consideration of the aforegoing it will be realized thatthe device 10 is an extremely simple, effective device for its intendedpurpose. It will also be realized that this device may be easily andconveniently used. Because of the nature of this invention, and the factthat the device 10 may be structurally modified from the precisestructure shown, this invention is considered limited solely by theappended claims forming a part of this disclosure.

I claim:

1. A device to be used in teaching and practicing the proper manner ofswinging a golf club, said device comprising:

a bar and rod each having first and second ends, said bar beingsubstantially straight and of a length corresponding to the distance agolf club should be moved only horizontally during a backswing, said rodhaving its first end attached to the first end of said bar along oneside of said bar and extending therefrom upward from said bar at anacute angle relative thereto to its second end spaced above and inapproximate vertical alignment with the second end of said bar, theinclination of said rod relative to said bar being such as to define thelower part of the downswing path of a golf club, means for supportingsaid bar and rod on a horizontal supporting surface in a position suchthat with said one side of said bar facing a golfer positioned toexecute a golf club swing, a golf ball may be positioned on said surfaceapproximately below the point of attachment of said rod to said bar andthe head of a golf club may be moved beneath said bar without strikingsaid bar.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for supportingcomprise stake means extending from the side of said bar remote fromsaid rod.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,340,793 2/1944 Chapman 273l922,754,125 7/1956 Engler 273-192 3,375,010 3/1968 Panza.

GEORGE I. MARLO, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 273-491

